Saturday, March 24, 2012

In Middleboro you have two levels of pay for retired teachers who wish to substitute. One is for retired Middleboro staff and the rate is $100 per day and for retired non Middleboro it is $80 a day. This is not standard procedures in schools systems and is an exception. It is also what it is and that is a handout to retired Middleboro staff.

Now is the justification that staff knows the curriculum? Curriculum changes constantly - this is something I have seen first hand in my teaching days and see today. Maybe it’s because they are familiar with bus routes, caf duty, playground duty or where to get coffee real quick. Not sure. Maybe our what appears to me interim for life super knows the answer? Maybe the school committee does?

I have been a resident of Middleboro for thirty-eight years and have three children go though the system. Based on performance I have seen in Middleboro - especially MCAS - they might be better off paying non Middleboro a $100 and Middleboro $80.

The Enterprise had a nice article of the temporary layoffs at Stiles and Hart brick works thanks to a decision to send a contract out of state. The Enterprise also had a follow-up on Sunday with online comments.

A story in the paper about an Amish buggy colliding with a police cruiser. The buggy was operated by some intoxicated Amish youth. Four other buggies escaped.

The Probation Department scandals persist. How long before that name “Pacheco” mentioned so frequently will addressed?

The elections of 2012 have me now totally cynical. I expect the total circus for president will revolve around gotcha journalism, exaggerating even the smallest of mis-speaks and the media blitz.

The Super Bowl primary focus is not on the foolish game but advertising. Content means nothing but presentation means everything. Crap will sell if presented in a humorous and eye catching manner. This is what will happen with the media blitzes for politics especially president. Who does best with their Madison Avenue presentations will hold the day.

Along the lines of the above I read a review - several in fact - of “The Hunger Games” that takes place in a dystopian future. It appears based on my readings it is a combination of “Rollerball” and “The Running Man” and eerily possible about how our packaged future will go. IMO for most folks the outcome of American Idol and Dancing With The Stars is of more interest and importance than the Presidential races.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

A nice going away present for the soon to be former GM would be a GPS.

Mr. Triner did a real quick exit. My assumption is he was waiting for that opportunity and Lincoln Andrews presented it to him. Poof!

Seems Mr. Granahan and Mr. Murphy would make a great song and dance team the way they were dancing around. Gene Kelly and Tommy Tune could not do any better.

I get the feeling that as information and potential improprieties were brought to the attention of the board is was the first time some of them were even aware of what was going on. Triner and Granahan appear to have carte blanche in running the show.

Middleboro to Boxborough is about an hour. Grab a freaking cup of coffee and do the drive.

Mr. Ranahan appeared very apprehensive about supporting votes that appeared to be negative towards Mr. Granahan. He reminded me of a student afraid of the principal (Granahan). Seemed toi be taking a quick glance looking for approval.

You know how I just love lawyers but in the pecking order at that meeting Adam Bond had it all over the Billy Flynn that the MG&E doles out $350 per hour for. Seems like for that they go to a website and print out a contract for you. And they only give advice if you ask specific advice? Amazing!

That meeting should be played for the next GM and a copy given to him/her.

Seems a member of Team Evasive is Ms. Richter.

What in the world is Lands End Outfitters doing for MG&E? Is Ms. Richter getting a collection of stylish coveralls? I saw a few others with that pegged into their charge cards.

On their charge cards they pay yearly fees? LMAO! Get them waived!

Steve McKinnon attempted to get a yes or no answer from Mr. Granahan. But in great Tommy Tune fashion he tap danced away from it.

About ten years ago on the Bandera Highway in Texas I hit a deer. I always remember the look on the face of that deer as my car hit it. Mr. Granahan had that same look. The police mercifully put the deer down. Draw any conclusion you wish with that.

This meeting was really a slam dunk. The MG&E really had nothing to bring to the table. Mr. Triner and Mr. Granahan were toast before the pledge started. Maybe they should have played taps? The Commissioners knew the death knell early on. Mike Solimini showed the end result of a lot of hard work and rustling feathers.

No right turn on red is emblazoned on signs at the perilous intersection of Routes 105/28 but there is an exception. The Middleboro police. At about 8:15 on 3/14 a cruiser (license #142) took such a turn but I will give the officer some slack since we were going to the same destination - the drive thru at McDonald’s. I guess being in a black and white gives you a personal exemption that the rest of us do not enjoy.

What is especially aggravating about the above is the occasional revenue enhancement that takes place just a bit down the road. At the intersection of Wood St. and Route 28 is a traffic light with a no turn on red as you come to the lights with the condo units on your right. About a 100 yards away is a turnout on 28 where a cruiser occasionally sets up shop to nap the unsuspecting. And, no, I have never been victimized by this tactic but have seen others get nabbed for some revenue enhancement.

My wife - The Lovely Cynthia - and I were having a conversation on how we change through the years. Unfortunately I said “There is so much more to you these days.” Bad - very bad - choice of words. A strategic beep….beep….beep failed. She would not buy into the “personal growth” angle…oops…there I go again! I may have to go to Lands End and buy her a nice outfit.

How much would it cost to maintain the Greenway in Boston if it was put out to private landscaping bids?

Mayor Mumbles didn’t appreciate the sarcasm in how the BTU approached his demand that teachers work and additional thirty minutes without pay. They hired a plane and handed out leaflets stating city hall would now close at 6PM rather than 5:30PM.

State workers in Massachusetts receive more paid holidays than any other state workers in the whole country!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

There will be an important G&E meeting this Tuesday at 7:30 at the G&E Estate. Please try to attend. Bring your own tar and feathers if you feel that is appropriate.

Triner had the good sense to drop out of the G&E race but oh what a joy candidates night would have been - if he showed. Next comes a movement on that stealth contract.

Now a potential casino in Lakeville? How about the old hospital site? Sure beats SYSCO. Which of the 351 cities and towns have not had a casino discussed?

Senator Thomas McGee (D - higher taxes) has a solution to the problems that confront the “T.” Investment. When he speaks of investment, of course, this means taxes. Democrats love to call taxes by names other than taxes. New sources of “revenue” or “investment.” When you drill down into the latest blather of another tax happy pol it comes out to a “hybrid” of revenues to make up for decades of mismanagement, fiscal handouts and incapable management. As usual the solution - only solution - is to somehow pay off billions in debt and provide further billions for “improvements” by exorbitant raising of fares and fees to be combined with somehow going after a cash strapped Jane and Joe Public.

I managed to wander down to my new precinct on election day. I’m am now six instead of two so just a wee bit more needless confusion. At the last moment I decided to take a Democrat ballot instead of the only race in town offered by the Republicans. A clear choice since none of the Republicans do a thing for me. Now what? I have the ballot and quickly connect “No Preference” under the name of Obama. I could not vote for him anymore than any of the Republicans.

If Iran has the potential for nuclear weapons it would be quite similar to what the United States faced in Cuba circa 1962. Unacceptable to have Russian missiles less than a hundred miles away. In this case Tehran to Tel Aviv is less than a thousand miles. Unacceptable to Israel.

The United States has not wavered from its support of Israel from administration to administration. For some it may be passionate and for others tepid but it has always been there. Now Obama is drawing a line in the sand. This will not be a consensus intervention as in the First Gulf War but one in which some serious feather ruffling takes place especially from China, Muslim states and now Russia after Putin has managed to rig an election.

Representative Shaunna O’Connell has been on a crusade for EBT reform. O’Connell managed to get some reforms issued last year but the enforcement is just about non existent. I observe red someone using an EBT card at a local liquor store to purchase adult beverages and cigarettes. A bipartisan commission has been formed to examine ways of curbing abuse but the commission is still in the start up process and governor Patrick does not appear enthused by the entire issue. O’Connell acknowledges that most use the EBT card judiciously but a large enough segment do not.

If The Tribe was in baseball their batting average would currently be .000.

A person was recently killed at a nursing home fire that happened in a meth lab - the lab was in the room and operated by a resident.

The Patrick administration is in the process of streamlining regulations for small businesses.

I know someone on the Middleboro - Wareham town line that would know how to handle the freight house. On….and it isn’t Lou Costello.

The state claims that deserted gas station on the rotary is historic. Since when does an eyesore qualify for historical designation? It is a dump. I have seen better on the back roads of Mississippi, Georgia and Alabama. The state ignores that rotary yet sets up fencing to protect that wreck from vandals? I would encourage vandals. Please…remove it a brick at a time.

And for Steve - in the best Douglas Adams tradition “Thanks for the fish.” It was a good time.

Can you imagine a gang banger who is color blind? Not much of a shelf life.

A 24 year old woman who won the lottery is collecting food stamps. The Michigan resident has two homes, new cars and a very nice cash stream yet feels it is “OK” because she is unemployed. This is the end result of a culture of entitlement.

The Herald expose on unemployment abuse has forced action on the part of the Patrick administration. Latest is a Quincy cop who received benefits while suspended for faking an injury. The office in question has had 26 work related disabilities in 16 years and they total north of 600 days.

The Herald has been pounding away at mis-management that has been under the radar. First is how unemployment is handled and now the driving records of some state employees who have access to state vehicles. Seems like a real pattern among some for bumper thumpers.

The Warren and Brown campaigns have pledged to give money to each others selected charities when over the top attack ads appear. Be a lot of checks tossed around. IMO I think any senate seat held by Warren will be a return to the same old. Brown has clearly demonstrated the ability to look at both sides of the issue and has often gotten tossed under the bus by liberals, conservatives, Tea Party types and moonbats. Must be doing something right. He said it was “The People’s Seat” and Warren will represent a return to the far left seat.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Arrogance. Incompetence. Stupidity. Just some words that rise up in my noggin when thinking - painfully - of our own little fiefdom know as the Middleborough Gas & Electric. Why oh why do members of our Board of Selectman have to bring in the heat to get a response from this crew? The Chair seems to have some comprehension issues regarding interpretation of the open meeting law. I guess in his adventures roaming the nation on our dime over the years he never contemplated actually going on that computer thing and looking up the freaking law instead of looking at ringing up his expense account.

I managed to watch - painfully (again) - one of the meetings and almost - that is almost - felt some pangs of sympathy for the skewering that the Chair and manager were getting from an audience that apparently forgot more about two things: Open meeting and technical operations than the Chair and manager ever even knew. So if they can’t get procedures down how can you even run this operation? Mr. Triner is up for another term. Did he earn our trust?

The venerable swan boats of Boston are in the drink over financials. The city wants an auditing of the firm that has run the boats to “prove” the city is getting their fair share of this cash only operation. I’m all for that but what concerns me is one of the flacks said “We may build our own boats.” Great. Six figure salaries for peddling a boat.

Steve McKinnon has earned another term.

Hal mentioned a few months ago about the potential for a Taunton casino.

The Probation Department probe is getting deeper. Is Pacheco next to be “interviewed?”

Somehow Obama has turned business tax deductions for oil companies into subsidies. Politics as usual.

Presidents use Air Force One as their own little campaign trailer as Obama has under the guise of it being a trip that is non political. Every trip a president makes is political especially the ones this one makes. I’m sure there are some guidelines that are either ignored or loophole enriched.

Credit card debt continues to escalate. Americans have long ago left behind the idea of actually considering saving a budget item.

As bad as this collection of Republicans running I can remember 2004 when the Democrats had Al Sharpton and Dennis Kichinich in the mix.

George Will has commented that the Republicans are ready to match 1964 and the end result of that was LBJ and Viet Nam and The Great Society. Two things we continue to pay dearly for.

Hong Kong now has about rwice as many skyscrapers as New York.

If it is of any interest rats and horses cannot vomit.

Why so many pizza shops in Middleboro? Only a few have anchovies so are they really a pizza shop or an imitation?

I see chicken, steak and chocolate cake is back and for $9.99.

Now Middleboro will attempt to collect money from The Tribe. Good luck with that. $100 a week for the next 3,000 years?

Maura Healey

Super Hack

Hack Hall Of Fame

The AG has just come out looking for a target after The Boston Herald "outed" Healey on her track record of travel expenses. So exactly what did this "hack" do to instill such ire in Bogo? Draft kings!

Draft Kings is an online gaming site that is used for sports fantasy players and fantasy sports is a huge business. Fantasy is also gaming since your success depends on an unknown outcome.

The hobgoblin of liberalism is hypocrisy. Not sure of the pundit who should get credit, but, alas, I am too lazy to look it up. And Healey is an up in lights liberal.

This state has a lottery and is now the birth place of one casino with many more in the waiting room. I can gamble illegally whenever I want since bookmakers are as common as ticks. But to this hack the target is now fantasy sports? LMAO!

For a note on this issue I do not play in any fantasy leagues of any kind. Never have and never will. I wonder in Healey does? Maybe a deeper check into her expense reports will tell.

director of the Bureau of Environmental Health

director of the Bureau of Environmental Health

director of the Bureau of Environmental Health

Your Government Hard At Work

Deval Patrick just lingers on like a migraine headache.

Now it appears his administration had some type of off the grid slush fund that was funded by various departments via creative accounting. Most of the cash was used for travel expenses and other incidentals that the payroll patriots could scrounge.

This, I imagine, will constitute his legacy.

Patrick also was on the take for $7,500 a day from an Olympic Committee formulated to proselytize for this next Big Dig. When Patrick was "outed" that was the end of that cushy gig.